


Fugue

by Raeolu



Category: Night In The Woods (Video Game)
Genre: Because no one can make a clean escape from events like those, Directly post-game, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-29 04:52:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15722364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raeolu/pseuds/Raeolu
Summary: The buzz of fluorescent bulbs, the crackle of the amplifier, the chatter of friends. And beneath it all, the void continues to sing.





	Fugue

Night in the Woods and its characters belongs to their respective owners, not me.

———

Band practice fills something inside Mae she hadn't noticed running dry. It's not enough – damnit, she knows they can't run from their problems forever – but for a brief moment they can almost forget the horrors of the past week.

Almost.

Mae grits her teeth and strums harder on the chorus of the song she still doesn't know yet. Maybe if she gets loud enough she can drown out the sound of her own thoughts.

Her thoughts are stupid anyways, who needs them.

  
Mae shakes herself off and reenters the present – following along with the music is hard enough without being distracted. Doesn't leave much room for extra thought. One of the reasons it's nice, actually.

The song wraps up with one last chord, sound ringing through the Party Barn. For a moment, the silence is deafening.

  
Except for-

  
And then Gregg lets out a cheer and starts flailing his guitar around, gushing about how this was the best rehearsal yet and we gotta do the song again RIGHT NOW and guys that was SO COOL!

Angus quickly scoots the amp out of guitar-thwacking range, and Bea grins into her cigarette.

But they both ready their setups to go again, Angus picking up his mike and Bea clicking away at her "drums". Mae snickers – Gregg has everyone wrapped around his finger and he knows it. Not that she's any exception, of course.

And if his smiles are a little shaky at the edges, well, everyone's are right now. But at least for tonight they can all feel ok-not-ok together.

 

  
The song's a little easier the second time through. Now that she knows what to expect, it's easier to pick out the melody as it's passed back and forth between the band members.

Making up an accompaniment to run alongside that is nothing next to having to improv an entire solo in Pumpkin Head Guy, oh my god.

She still rocked it though.

  
For now, Mae focuses on running the bass line behind Angus's voice as he growls the chorus, then passes melody to Gregg again. The guitar chords sweep her up as she follows along, allowing herself to get lost in the music.

Major seventh here, swap to a fifth there, add an inversion to emphasize the tonal shift as the melody is taken up by a different instrument.

Mae barely notices the change at first, only pausing to wonder if that key shift had been there the first time they'd played the song. But the pace is getting faster, so there's no time to dwell on that.

The melody is different now, but it's so familiar. Mae switches to a different pick in order to better complement the violin's higher range.

  
Was this song always this long? Yes, of course it is. What was she thinking? It's been going on for ages.

  
The violin's solo seamlessly passes to the saxophone. Mae struggles for a moment, but manages to get her part back under control.

It's hard to keep her rhythm steady without drums, but the tuba is keeping a solid tempo and she uses it to pace herself.

  
Were there other instruments once? No, that's silly. There have always been four.

  
The accordion builds up a crescendo, and Mae knows it's almost time for her to take the melody line. She should have taken it ages ago. Everyone is waiting for her.

She shifts her grip and-

 

  
Her pick comes down on empty air.

  
Mae looks up in a daze to see a pale-faced Bea yanking the bass away.

The other members of their band are gathered around, faces peering at her with a too-familiar mixture of worried and uncertain as they draw her in close for support.

No one is playing their instruments. The song ended a while ago.

The room is silent.

  
Except for-

...

Except for the melody of the void, echoing between her ears.


End file.
